Millions of Americans suffer from back problems and associated pain. Often back pain originates with improper posture of the thoracic spine. The invention of the present application trains the user to properly align the thoracic area of the spine.
“Normal spinal posture helps reduce potential strain. Unfortunately, our modern lifestyles in concert with the forces of gravity conspire to ruin our healthy upright posture. The elderly are often slumped because of bad posture or sometimes from osteoporosis. This habit of slumping begins in childhood, when we sit in front of televisions, sit in school, sit in cars, etc. Sitting and inactivity invite poor posture, thus over-straining our spinal muscles, ligaments and joints.” (1). When parents tell their children to “Sit up straight!” they are usually doing so because poor posture looks bad. Poor posture can be recognized by the following: rounded shoulders, head leaning forward, protruding abdomen, locked knees, hands facing backwards while standing, feet turned out. What most parents who've said “Sit up straight” don't realize is that the following ailments are typical results of poor posture: neck pain, headaches, upper back/shoulder pain, jaw pain, low back pain, arthritis and shallow breathing--all resulting in fatigue. Additionally, J. T. Freeman found that as people aged, poor posture resulted in intestinal problems, hemorrhoids, varicose veins, osteoporosis, hip and foot deformities, poor health, decreased quality of life and a shortened life span. (2) In reading this, one can understand the life-long ramifications of poor posture.
There are 3 regions of the spine; the cervical region, more commonly referred to as the neck, is composed of 7 vertebra and their discs and has a forward curvature, known as the lordotic curve. The thoracic spine is the midback, which is composed of 12 vertebra and their discs and its shape is known as a kyphotic curve. The lumbar spine, known as the low back and is composed of 5 vertebra and their discs. Its shape is also lordotic. There is a natural center of gravity, which falls through these curves. When posture is thrown off, the center of gravity is thrown off as well and excess strain is placed on the spine and spinal muscles. Excess strain has many effects on the body, but the one that people will notice most is discomfort and, eventually, pain.
Let's face it: modern life requires us to do a lot of sitting. One of the leading causes, if not the leading cause of poor posture is a result of the way we sit. Improper sitting leads to excess rounding of the thoracic spine, known as hyperkyphosis. This contributes to excess force placed on the intervertebral discs of the lumbar spine.
Unfortunately, when it comes to supporting the spine, the longest segment of the spine, the thoracic spine, has been the most overlooked—until now. Most back supports only work to support the lumbar spine and fail to address the thoracic spine and the transitional area between the two, known as the thoracolumbar region. The posture trainer is the first device designed to support the thoracic spine and thoracolumbar region. The posture trainer allows a person to experience the feel of, and maintain, proper posture in the seated position. Once we learn correct seated posture and can maintain it, poor posture will become uncomfortable.
This simple, yet revolutionary device will change ergonomics in the home as well as the workplace. When the spine is not supported, there is a tremendous amount of energy wasted in trying to maintain physical comfort. For many people, this can become quite a struggle leading to pain and fatigue. By using the posture trainer people will experience an increase in energy, as they will no longer be in a constant struggle to get comfortable. This will go a long way in increasing productivity in the workplace. As children spend more and more time seated at computers and in school, they will be able to sit more comfortably for longer periods of time. Proper postural training now will enable their bodies to grow and develop correctly, due to maintaining normal postural forces while they sit. This will also result in a decreased incidence of parents telling their children to “Sit up straight!!”